Solomon Islands businessman says government support to rural farmers is important

A Solomon Islands businessman says government support to rural farmers is important.

Claudius Horiwapu says the global financial crisis is having adverse impacts on the price of imported goods and products, making rural development all the more important.

The SIBC reports last week Mr Horiwapu's business, Set Marketing, sold a set of manual equipment worth over 26-thousand dollars for processing coconut oil to local farmers of Ontong Java in the Malaita.

With the equipment, the local farmers will be able to process high quality oil which would have been imported from overseas.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the handing over of the equipment, Mr Horiwapu said with government support and the technical expertise that exist in the Ministry of Agriculture, local farmers are capable of producing local feed for pig and chicken.

He said this would reduce the price of pork and chicken in the country.